NASCAR Cup Series star Connor Zilisch has had a rough start to his rookie campaign, but achieved his best finish of the year in the All-Star Race at Dover on Sunday.
The 19-year-old advanced to the final segment of the 350-lap race and came home in fifth position in the No. 88, and it could have been even better not for a pit road penalty.
Of course, with it being an All-Star Race, Zilisch's finish technically doesn't count towards the season, nor did he get any much-needed points on the board (he currently sits 32nd in the Cup Series standings).
However, Zilisch's post-race interview suggested it was exactly the shot in the arm that he and his team at Trackhouse Racing were looking for.
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Connor Zilisch on P5 at All-Star Race
“We needed a day like this for our No. 88 Jockey 150th Anniversary Chevrolet team where we had contending speed," the Cup rookie explained post-race.
"It’s been a long year and the moments of hope like this certainly feel good," he added, referring to his tough start to the season.
"I don’t really know what to point our speed to. We still had some balance issues, but just the potential was there. We had potential in our racecar."
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Trackhouse Racing working hard to improve
Zilisch has not been alone in his struggles at Trackhouse this year, with Ross Chastain not performing as expected, and Shane van Gisbergen currently their only driver occupying a Chase spot.
Zilisch, though, says the team is working hard to put things right.
"Everyone at Trackhouse Racing has been working really hard to get that and make it to where, even on the bad days, we’re still running decent," he continued.
"I feel like we had that today. We had potential and, honestly, room to grow. Just really proud of everyone on this team."
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